XFP is a protocol agreed to by industry participants to define standard components and architectures for ten gigabit small form factor pluggable modules. The XFP pluggable module is an optical transceiver that has standard features such as outer envelope size, internal electrical specifications, and optical connector ports. Some mechanical design features, such as the locking mechanism for releasably connecting a module to a standard cage attached to a computer board have been left to the component manufactures to develop.
Thus, there is a need for a reliable and inexpensive locking mechanism for securing an optical transceiver to a cage on a computer board and, more generally, there is a need for a locking mechanism for locking components within a standard cage structure that is both inexpensive and reliable.